Don’t Miss the Full Flying Clip!
Click Here to Watch Santa Fly Advanced Aerobatics
with the Good Morning Arizona helicopter.

Santa Claus is a regular client at Fighter Combat International. Unlike other years where he was always under training with one of our military fighter pilots, this year he takes the aircraft up solo for the first time! Fortunately, Bruce Haffner with Good Morning Arizona TV3 had a chance to grab Santa just as he was finishing his calisthenics prior to jumping in the cockpit. Also shown is a clip from Santa’s earlier in-flight training while in formation with the TV3 helicopter.

If you see Santa Claus pulling up over town this year, doing an aileron roll followed by a hammerhead then landing lightly and precisely on your roof-top, well then you’ll know it’s the REAL Santa!

Category (Basic, Advanced or Extreme): Advanced

Advanced Sky Dancing AEROBATIC MANEUVERS

What’s Happening? Alex arrived at Fighter Combat excited to gather some great experiences to tell his friends about back in Italy. He wanted to see everything the Extra could do. As you’ll see in the included video sampling below, his wishes came true and had a blast flying with Fighter Combat pilot, Paul BJ Ransbury, just 2-days before Christmas.

Important Note:Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. We will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme.

INVERTED FLIGHT

AEROBATIC MANEUVER

Category (Basic, Advanced or Extreme): Basic

What’s Happening? In this video clip (below), Paul BJ Ransbury demonstrates Inverted Flight to Ryan. Mid-way through the maneuver Ryan takes control, waves to the camera and then proceeds to recover to upright flight.

Inverted Flight is accomplished by ensuring the aircraft is at a safe altitude, clear of other traffic and setup in the proper flight condition. In this clip, the entry starts from level flight at 160 kts (~185 mph) at altitude of approximately 6,000 feet. By pulling back on the stick, the nose of the aircraft is pitched up to approximately 20 degrees nose-high and then rolled inverted. During the roll to inverted flight, it is important not to be pulling backwards on the stick (ie. a loaded roll) to ensure the nose does not get buried below the horizon. A proper entry results in an inverted nose-high attitude of approximately 15 degrees as the stick is gently, yet firmly, pushed forward to establish negative 1-G inverted flight. At this point, Ryan takes control and waives at the camera prior to recovering to upright level flight. The Extra 300L is capable of sustaining inverted flight for approximately 4 minutes.

Although this a very basic maneuver, it is certainly a lot of fun and a nice introduction into the advanced phase of the aerobatic Flight of Your Life program. Come watch BJ and Ryan have some fun with it …

Important Note: Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. We will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme

The video clip below contains several maneuvers in sequence that starts with a G-Warm-Up Exercise with alternating level 3-G turns, an Inside Loop followed by two Aileron Rolls. Our client “air show pilot”, Teresa, had lots of fun flying with Fighter Combat Instructor Bill Moffat, formerly a Canadian and US Navy F/A-18 pilot. In addition to the Extra, Bill also professionally flys the Boeing 737 and A-4. Below is an explanation of one of the included maneuvers in detail: The Inside Loop.

What’s Happening with the Inside Loop? The Inside Loop is one of the first maneuvers our clients fly during Fighter Combat International’s Flight of Your Life mission profiles. The maneuver is started by aligning the aircraft with a ground reference off the nose (usually a mountain, cloud or pattern of roads) with at least 140 kts of airspeed and at a safe altitude. The pilot and/or customer initiate the maneuver by pulling back on the control stick resulting in a 3.5-4.0 G wings level turn in the vertical plane of motion. As the aircraft reaches 45 to 60 degrees nose-up, the pilot transitions their view to the horizon off the left wing while monitoring the rate of motion of the aircraft’s vertical turn with peripheral vision. As the aircraft passes through the vertical-up position and approaches 45 degrees from the opposite horizon (the aircraft is now upside down), the pilot transitions their view out the top of the canopy to find the horizon. The aircraft is now inverted, usually at an airspeed below the 1-G stall speed, as the nose transitions through the opposite horizon and continues its turn towards the vertical down position. As the airspeed increases past the vertical-down position, G-loading begins to increase as the original upright horizon appears out the top of the canopy. The maneuver terminates as the pilot attains approximately 3.5-4.0 G, 140 kts of airspeed and a wings level flight attitude on the original heading and altitude. Perfecting the maneuver involves corrections for torque, rate vs radius, pitch variations and minor errors in roll. Although the Inside Loop is a basic maneuver, it is quite exhilarating especially when using smoke to highlight the aircraft’s flight path throughout the maneuver. With smoke on, the pilot can see where they started the maneuver and the course taken three dimensionally through the sky. On clear days, family and friends on the Fighter Combat observation deck can watch the smoke trace circles, lines and corkscrews in the sky

Now come have a look at the Inside Loop video clip! … remember, this clip involves a sequence of three maneuvers starting with two G Warm-Up turns, then an Inside Loop and finishes off with two Aileron Rolls …

Important Note: Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. We will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme.

THE UPRIGHT ACCELERATED FLAT SPIN

AEROBATIC MANEUVER

Category (Basic, Advanced or Extreme): Advanced

What’s Happening? In this video clip the Fighter Combat pilot (Paul BJ Ransbury) talks the client (Dennis) through the entry and recovery of this particular advanced aerobatic maneuver. The specific recovery BJ takes him through is the Beggs-Mueller Emergency Spin Recovery (developed by Gene Beggs) technique for clarity and simplicity of communication. Dennis is a non-pilot and avid radio-control aerobatic flyer. The Upright Accelerated Flat Spin is arguably the most advanced/aggravated upright spin condition possible in a general aviation aircraft.

Although terminology varies, the maneuver presented in this video can be generalized to fall under the category of an Aggravated Spin. Specifically, Dennis is instructed to enter the maneuver with a power-off stall (the aircraft slows to an airspeed that causes the wing to exceed its critical angle of attack under one force of gravity – 1 G). Just prior to the stall, Dennis simultaneously pulls fully aft on the stick and applies full left rudder. The aircraft transitions from a stall through an incipient spin (aggravated stall) to a fully developed spin after about two turns. In a developed spin in the Extra 300, the pilot must keep pro-spin inputs (fully aft stick and full left rudder) to keep the aircraft in the spin. The aircraft is now falling straight down at a rate of descent of approximately 8000 feet per minute while auto-rotating. At this point, the spin is accelerated in yaw rotation by applying out-spin aileron (right lateral stick movement) followed by full forward stick. The stick is now in the forward right corner of the control quadrant with full left rudder still applied. Now, full power is applied to flatten the spin which gyroscopically brings the nose up in a left spin (true for aircraft right turning single engine propellers). The rate of descent now slows to approximately 5000 feet per minute with a dramatically increased rate of rotation and higher flight attitude (nose is closer to the horizon). Let’s watch Dennis and BJ have some fun with it … we apologize for the fuzzy tail camera but Dennis did so many tumbling and tail sliding maneuvers prior to this one that the tail camera lens became quickly covered in smoke oil

Important Note: Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. We will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme.

THE LOMCEVAK TUMBLE

AEROBATIC MANEUVER

Category (Basic, Advanced or Extreme): Extreme

What’s Happening? The Lomcevak – (pronounced LOHM-sheh-vock). A Czechoslovakian word translated as “Berserk Headache”, it is actually a colloquialism meaning “Drunken Bum.” The Lomcevak, also called the lump-lump, appears to be a totally out-of-control maneuver in which the plane tumbles nose over tail, wingtip over wingtip, across the sky. There are supposedly 200 different versions of the Lomcevak; you will have difficulty describing just one. (Excerpt from South Wisconsin Air Fest)

In this particular version of the Lomcevak (or tumble), the aircraft starts at a minimum of 160 kts in level flight. The aircraft is pulled to the 45 degree up-line where a left roll is immediately initiated (when learning this maneuver, it is helpful to go to 45-up knife-edge flight (left wing low) with heavy right rudder to hold the nose momentarily on the line). Once the roll is initiated (or knife-edge flight established), the aircraft is aggressively yawed off axis with left rudder and then, when the relative airflow is approximately 45 degrees off the nose of the aircraft, the longitudinal stick is move sharply forward with slight left aileron input. These control inputs are maintained throughout the maneuver. When learning the Lomcevak, the initial tendency is to either end up in a outside snap rolling maneuver (not enough initial rudder prior to the push) or a heavy negative-G bunt hang-up. As proficiency builds, the longitudinal stick can be cycled fore and aft slightly to give a bit more rotational energy to the maneuver. Typically the aircraft will tumble through three cartwheel-like rotations and recover on a down-line close to the 45-degree nose low position. Recoveries from this point vary from a Split-S in the opposite direction to entry or a rolling roll-out on the 45-degree down line. All in all, this is a SPECTACULAR maneuver! Believe it or not, this is a precision maneuver and, as an air show performer, the professional air show pilot must have total control and recoverability throughout the maneuver. Let’s watch Carl and BJ have some fun with it …

Important Note: Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. We will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme.

THE RATCHET ROLL

AEROBATIC MANEUVER

Category (Basic, Advanced or Extreme): Advanced

What’s Happening?David arrived at Fighter Combat wanting to see everything the Extra could do and was specifically interested in the Point Roll (or Hesitation Roll). After an instructional demonstration and a few practices, he was able to fly the maneuver more effectively using a slower roll rate with crisper “stops” at the 90 degree points which characterizes this maneuver. In this video clip, BJ demonstrates to David how the Point Roll can be incorporated into an air show maneuver such as the Ratchet Roll. The aircraft remains in level flight throughout the maneuver. As the aircraft is rolling through the various positions, lift is being generated by both the fuselage, wings and combinations of each to balance flight and keep the aircraft from climbing or descending … enjoy! David sure did

Important Note:
Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. We will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme.

Client Fighter Pilot: Mud Ball

HEAD – TO – HEAD

VERTICAL GAME PLAN

AIR COMBAT ENGAGEMENT

This Engagement Runs All the Way from
the Pre-Merge Setup to the Guns Kill

Category (Basic, Advanced or Extreme): Basic Fighter Maneuvers

NOTE: EACH ADVANCED AIR COMBAT MISSION INCLUDES
SCORED ENGAGEMENTS LIKE THIS
THE ENGAGEMENTS ARE SCORED BASED ON RESULTS AND TIMING
THE MOST POINTS WIN THE TOP GUN TROPHY

What’s Happening?This scene starts with aircraft flying in side-by-side tactical formation just prior to the formation lead calling “check away” to setup for the neutral high-aspect engagement. When formation is subsequently directed to “turn in” the aircraft point head-on to each other closing at over 400 mph! When the two aircraft meet at the merge, the formation lead calls “fight’s on” to start the engagement. Watch and listen as BJ coaches Mud Ball through this high-energy fun-filled dogfight against Mud Ball’s brother-in-law, Blondie. Don’t let the results of this engagement fool you, in the next engagement (not included here), Blondie sets a Fighter Combat International record of 12.95 seconds from merge to guns kill. Come watch Mud Ball’s video and enjoy some air combat tips – we’d love to hear your comments. What to listen for in the audio commentary: lift vector control, energy management and various tips on conversion and transfer of energy between potential and kinetic reservoirs – concluding with the logical management of both energy and geometry to achieve positional advantage and employment of a lethal gun shot … enjoy!

Important Note:Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. We will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme.

GUN EMPLOYMENT

AIR COMBAT ENGAGEMENT

Watch the Final Minute of this Engagement to a Gun Shot on the Bandit
Category (Basic, Advanced or Extreme): Basic Fighter Maneuvers

NOTE: EACH ADVANCED AIR COMBAT MISSION INCLUDES
SCORED ENGAGEMENTS LIKE THIS
THE ENGAGEMENTS ARE SCORED BASED ON RESULTS AND TIMING
THE MOST POINTS WIN THE TOP GUN TROPHY

What’s Happening? The cockpit scene you view on this clip is about 1/2 way through an air combat engagement that was initiated with a high-aspect head-on pass at approximately 7,000′ MSL (5,500′ above ground level) with a closing velocity of about 500 miles per hour. In this clip, Eric follows the Fighter Combat instructor pilot’s coaching from a position of slight advantage to a position of effectively employing a lethal gun attack on the adversary aircraft. Watch Eric fly and listen as Smo highlights various air combat concepts to Eric discussed the mission briefing for him to apply to the actual engagement. What to listen for in the audio commentary: lift vector control, energy management, straining against the g-force, hard deck awareness and various tips on conversion and transfer of energy between potential and kinetic reservoirs – concluding with the logical management of both energy and geometry to achieve positional advantage and employment of a lethal gun shot … enjoy!

Important Note:Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. We will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme.